The Salty Sugar Cubes
by loveu5missu6
Summary: Katniss attends a mourners funeral for her dead friend, Finnick Odair. "Sorry," she blubbered, "It's a little bit salty."


_A/n: my taste differs. Here's another Hunger Games. This one just came to me a few seconds ago. And I don't want to forget it. I don't care how late it is. Or that it's easter._

-.-

I cried. This was the first time. The first time in a while I'd cried. I'd cried whenever my father had died, surely. I'd cried whenever I thought Prim was going to go into the Hunger Games. But, I didn't quite understand why I was crying now. Over a boy who wasn't even mine. Maybe it was Annie. Annie.

She was having his baby. And now he wouldn't even feel that baby kick. Why had he come? He should've been home with Annie. And why did he have to die?

I never, in a million years thought I would care for Finnick Odair.

For so many years, every time I saw him on camera, I rolled my eyes. He was just a stuck up winner from District Four, showing off his trident to the girls that would watch him.

In all reality, Finnick had been a boy who missed a crazy girl from home. He missed Annie. I'd seen him cry over Annie. I'd seen him breakdown over the girl. And I'd seen him marry the girl. And then I'd seen him run to me, in such joy screaming, "You're gonna be a godmother, Katniss!"

That made me cry even harder. Finnick Jr.

I looked over at Annie. She stood at the edge of the coffin, slowly looking up and down at the spectators. It was packed with fans to show remorse to the man.

The coffin was empty, but symbolic. It held anything that a fan would want to put in there. I hadn't put anything in there yet, wanting to wait until the crowd thinned out.

Annie had gotten noticeably larger. Her six month pregnant belly stuck out, even in the black dress. She had a black veil concealing her face. She kept her hands on the wood, looking at everything that sat there. She toyed with the wedding ring on her finger every so often.

I looked over at Peeta, and suddenly, felt guilty.

I shouldn't be happy. I should be the one dead instead of Finnick. I should be the one that's body can't be found.

I stood up and walked over to the coffin, pushing through the hordes of mourners. I didn't care if I was being rude. Finnick was gone, and Finnick was my friend.

I walked straight to Annie and began crying even harder. She looked so well kept.

She looked at me, "Katniss." She hoarsely said.

"I'm-It's all my fault."

She lifted her veil, "None of this is your fault, Katniss. Finnick was a stubborn man. I told him not to go. Do you think the man listened to me?" Annie crossed her arms over her belly. Her bottom lip quivered.

"How can you be so calm?"

Annie smiled sadly, "its best if I don't get too ahead of myself, Katniss. I have a baby on the way and I'm a new widow. I don't need people growing jealous of my time with the great Finnick Odair. If crying begins, I simply pull down the veil and turn." She pulled down the veil and turned.

I realized it was time for me to go. The crowd was thinning. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the plastic bag.

I walked to the edge of the coffin.

"Hey, Finny." I said. My bottom lip quivered, and suddenly the tears left their spot in my mind and came into reality. "I-I'm so sorry. You don't get to meet your baby. By the way…Annie gave me this to put in." I reached into my other pocket and pulled out the bluish picture. "It's the baby's first ever picture. He looks _just _like you." I sighed and chuckled, "It's all my fault that your somewhere in a tunnel, rotting and not with your wife and your unborn baby. And it's my fault that I'm not dead. I should've killed myself off as soon as I stepped off the plate the first time around. Maybe then I wouldn't be in so much pain. It's all because I grew attached to a boy that didn't even belong to me. You, Finnick. So…here's my addition." I dumped the objects in the bag to the palm of my hand.

I looked over at Annie. She was dabbing at her eyes.

"My first thing." I pulled out a piece of orange satin. "It probably doesn't mean anything to you, but it's a piece of the fabric of my first interview dress. It fell off whenever I ripped it after taking it off. It's something that reminded me of you. I don't even know why though." I laid the piece of fabric in the bodyless coffin. I pulled out a piece of rope next and laughed. "The rope. I kept it. I tied every time I missed him, I was mad at Haymitch or I grew bored with Buttercup. It has the first knot. _Your _knot." I laid it down on top of the orange fabric. "Third thing. A note." I smacked at my hot tears. "It's a note you wrote me during the time we were all in the cell. I didn't really understand why you didn't just talk to me then. But I didn't read between the lines…literally."

I looked over the note.

_Knot tying much, Kitty Kat? _

_Need a new piece. I've got plenty. _

_Come to my shack if you need some. _

_Finny. (:_

I forgot about the words and then looked at the not again. In faint letters, I found the erased marks.

_Wish we could hang out soon._

_I miss talking to you._

_We'll find Peeta, don't worry._

_I would've talked to you in person-but you're famous and I can't seem to get a ticket._

_With love, Finny (:_

I set the piece of paper down.

"Fourth thing-the nickname sheet." I pulled out a folded up piece of white paper. I opened it up.

_Dear Katniss, _

_I **need **a nickname for you. As much as I adore the name, sweetheart, it's too long. I'm calling you Kit-Kat and Kitty Kat now! No objections. _

_You can call me Finny. Or Knotty. I don't care.  
This is the nickname sheet. If you need to talk to me about the nicknames, you're gonna have to get through Hector! _

_PS: Hector's the nickname sheet's name. But you can call him Hecky! ((:_

I laid the paper down and gulped. A stray tear fell loosely from my cheek.

"It's a sugar cube. I tried one as soon as I got home. And I loved it."

A tear fell from my cheek and made a small part of the sugar cube dissolve.

"Sorry." I blubbered. "It's a little bit salty."

_A/n: So I think this is the first time I cried while writing a fanfiction story. I CRIED. God, I miss Finnick, so much. And I know a lot of the things don't make sense about her small things. Like the nickname sheet. They were good friends, in my mind. If you didn't think of them as good friends, I hope at least it touched your heart a little bit. –Haley Hunger Games xo. ((: _


End file.
